Llewellyn 'goes profitable'

Llewellyn, the £180m-a-year construction group snapped up by the Rok Group last September, has "immediately gone profitable" following a major restructuring exercise.

Rok chief executive Garvis Snook said this week: "Llewellyn had lurched from loss to minor profit. Having taken out a number of non-revenue-earning roles, the business has immediately gone profitable."

Neil Hunt, promoted by Snook as the new managing director of Llewellyn, said: "There were an enormous number of people wandering round with the title of manager. They were often given this as a sop for long service."

Hunt has reshaped over a dozen former Llewellyn businesses into just six income streams, each headed by a leader.

"We are strong on leadership," said Snook. "Leaders work within their teams, rather than above them, in the same way as the captain of a football team is out there on the pitch with the other players."

After removing the overburden of senior management, Llewellyn's remaining staff are being given greater empowerment. A major retraining programme for all 430 employees got under way this week.

Hunt said: "It aims to teach employees how to operate in an empowered structure that is values-driven. The previous structure had been driven by procedures, based on completing forms and waiting for permission.

"That's all gone now and it's taken a lot of our people out of their comfort zone. The training programme over the next five months will inspire them."

The shock of the takeover hasn't sent staff scuttling for new employment. "I've been pleasantly surprised at the way they have stayed on. People have bought into the need for change, recognising that the old ways couldn't go on."